To encourage reading, employees from 39 locations in MG and ES will be trained to create plans to modernize these spaces
The Renova Foundation started the Reading Incentive Project in municipalities affected by the collapse of the Fundao dam (MG). The initiative aims to support the modernization of municipal public libraries by giving incentive to interaction and professional development and encouraging reading in 35 municipalities in Minas Gerais and four in Espirito Santo. The project is aimed at training public servants who work in these spaces, seeking to contribute to improving the quality of life of the population. The goal is to support one public library per city.
The project has the support of the State Systems of Public Libraries of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo and a partnership with Sapion Nova Educação, a company with experience in conducting participatory processes, training and impact projects in the educational area. Each City Hall may appoint two to four employees linked to the municipal public library, such as librarians, monitors, assistants, among other professionals, to participate in an online training, held between August and November 2021. The activity will work on contents related to library management and, at this stage, actions will be defined to contribute to the modernization and dynamization of the library as a place of knowledge and transformation.
The public servants will also be instructed to prepare the revitalization plan for those spaces. This process starts from a menu of options, in the categories of collection (acquisition of books), furniture and equipment, training, infrastructure and accessibility. Each participating municipality will have up to R$ 200 thousand to set up its revitalization plan. At the end of the process, the next step will be the acquisition and delivery of materials by the Renova Foundation.
According to Daniela Terra, Education, Culture and Tourism analyst at the Renova Foundation, “the project will impact municipalities that participate in the activities on two fronts: by acquiring important items for the libraries’ collection and physical space and by strengthening the work of professionals who work in these spaces, recognizing their role as agents of transformation and creating a fundamental link between public libraries and the local community”, she says.